HCI

Research and Advances Aug 1 1985

ALGLIB, a simple symbol-manipulation package

ALGLIB—a library of procedures that perform analytic differentiation and other simple symbolic manipulations—has certain advantages over existing and more comprehensive packages. It can be implemented in a high-level language of the user's choice using a pseudocode available from the authors, and it is easily interfaced with the user's programs.

J. M. Shearer and M. A. Wolfe

Research and Advances Aug 1 1985

Database design: composing fully normalized tables from a rigorous dependency diagram

A new simplified methodology for relational-database design overcomes the difficulties associated with nonloss decomposition. It states dependencies between data fields on a dependency list and then depicts them unambiguously as interlinked bubbles and doublebubbles on a dependency diagram. From the dependency diagram, a set of fully normalized tables is derived.

Henry C. Smith

Research and Advances Jul 1 1985

Structuring computer-mediated communication systems to avoid information overload

Unless computer-mediated communication systems are structured, users will be overloaded with information. But structure should be imposed by individuals and user groups according to their needs and abilities, rather than through general software features.

Starr R. Hiltz and Murray Turoff

Research and Advances Jun 1 1985

On time and space decomposition of complex structures

Models of large and complex systems can often be reduced to smaller sub-models, for easier analysis, by a process known as decomposition. Certain criteria for successful decompositions can be established.

P. J. Courtois

Research and Advances Jun 1 1985

Natural language with discrete speech as a mode for human-to-machine

A voice interactive natural language system, which allows users to solve problems with spoken English commands, has been constructed. The system utilizes a commercially available discrete speech recognizer which requires that each word be followed by approximately a 300 millisecond pause. In a test of the system, subjects were able to learn its use after about two hours of training. The system correctly processed about 77 percent of the over 6000 input sentences spoken in problem-solving sessions. Subjects spoke at the rate of about three sentences per minute and were able to effectively use the system to complete the given tasks. Subjects found the system relatively easy to learn and use, and gave a generally positive report of their experience.

Alan W. Biermann, Robert D. Rodman, David C. Rubin, and J. Francis Heidlage

Research and Advances Jun 1 1985

A randomized protocol for signing contracts

Randomized protocols for signing contracts, certified mail, and flipping a coin are presented. The protocols use a 1-out-of-2 oblivious transfer subprotocol which is axiomatically defined.The 1-out-of-2 oblivious transfer allows one party to transfer exactly one secret, out of two recognizable secrets, to his counterpart. The first (second) secret is received with probability one half, while the sender is ignorant of which secret has been received.An implementation of the 1-out-of-2 oblivious transfer, using any public key cryptosystem, is presented.

Shimon Even, Oded Goldreich, and Abraham Lempel

Research and Advances Jun 1 1985

A generalized user interface for applications programs (II)

A display-screen management system for user interaction with an arbitrary application program is simple enough so that the end user controls the dialogue and screens yet powerful enough to provide for user specification of screen geometry, input constraints, computation facilities, and display logic—quite independently of the application system.

Leonard J. Bass

Research and Advances May 1 1985

A study of application program development techniques

A survey of application development techniques in 43 organizations identifies the methods and tools found most effective in application software development.

Tor Guimaraes

Research and Advances Apr 1 1985

A class of sorting algorithms based on Quicksort

Bsort, a variation of Quicksort, combines the interchange technique used in Bubble sort with the Quicksort algorithm to improve the average behavior of Quicksort and eliminate the worst case situation of O(n2) comparisons for sorted or nearly sorted lists. Bsort works best for nearly sorted lists or nearly sorted in reverse.

Roger L. Wainwright

Research and Advances Apr 1 1985

Statistical mechanics and disordered systems

Since computers are able to simulate the equilibrium properties of model systems, they may also prove useful for solving the hard optimization problems that arise in the engineering of complex systems.

Scott Kirkpatrick and Robert H. Swendsen

Research and Advances Apr 1 1985

Experimental mathematics: the role of computation in nonlinear science

Computers have expanded the range of nonlinear phenomena that can be explored mathematically. An “experimental mathematics facility,” containing both special-purpose dedicated machines and general-purpose mainframes, may someday provide the ideal context for complex nonlinear problems.

David Campbell, Doyne Farmer, Jim Crutchfield, and Erica Jen

Research and Advances Mar 1 1985

Designing for usability: key principles and what designers think

This article is both theoretical and empirical. Theoretically, it describes three principles of system design which we believe must be followed to produce a useful and easy to use computer system. These principles are: early and continual focus on users; empirical measurement of usage; and iterative design whereby the system (simulated, prototype, and real) is modified, tested, modified again, tested again, and the cycle is repeated again and again. This approach is contrasted to other principled design approaches, for example, get it right the first time, reliance on design guidelines. Empirically, the article presents data which show that our design principles are not always intuitive to designers; identifies the arguments which designers often offer for not using these principles—and answers them; and provides an example in which our principles have been used successfully.

John D. Gould and Clayton Lewis

Research and Advances Mar 1 1985

An evaluation of retrieval effectiveness for a full-text document-retrieval system

An evaluation of a large, operational full-text document-retrieval system (containing roughly 350,000 pages of text) shows the system to be retrieving less than 20 percent of the documents relevant to a particular search. The findings are discussed in terms of the theory and practice of full-text document retrieval.

David C. Blair and M. E. Maron

Research and Advances Mar 1 1985

Excerpts from: An Information Systems Manifesto

James Martin talks with Leonard Kleinrock about the state of the art in data processing—how corporate and MIS managers should manage the new technology, and how computer science education should relate to it.

James Martin and Leonard Kleinrock

Research and Advances Feb 1 1985

Programmer perceptions of productivity and programming tools

Psychometric scaling methods are applied to programmer productivity assessments of 20 tools to recommend a set of minimal, as well as more comprehensive, tools.

Stephen José Hanson and Richard R. Rosinski

Research and Advances Feb 1 1985

Rating the major computing periodicals on readability

The readability of the ten major computing periodicals is analyzed using the Flesch Reading Ease Index.

Ronald S. Lemos

Research and Advances Feb 1 1985

User-oriented criteria for the selection of DSS software

Both the composition of the selection team and the choice of evaluation criteria should reflect the end-user orientation of DSS software.

Bernard C. Reimann and Allan D. Waren

Research and Advances Dec 1 1984

Special section on management of information systems

Gordon B. Davis